This Article is From Jan 17, 2013

Now Qatar Airways also grounds Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet

Doha: Qatar Airways has grounded its five-strong fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, it said Thursday, adopting a directive by the US Federal Aviation Administration reviewing their safety.

"I previously stated that Qatar Airways will only stop operating our Dreamliners if we receive such an instruction from regulators," said Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al-Baker in a statement.

"Safety remains the number one priority for Qatar Airways," said Al-Baker, adding that the carrier "will resume 787 operations when we are clear that the aircraft meets the full requirements of the Airworthiness Directive and our standards."

"So we are not flying the aircraft until and only such a time this is achieved," he said in the English-language statement

On Wednesday, the FAA grounded all US-registered Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to address a possible battery fire risk.

And it said it would alert the international aviation community to the action so other civil aviation authorities "can take parallel action to cover the fleets operating in their own countries."

The warning was prompted by a battery incident during an All Nippon Airways flight that resulted in an emergency landing in Japan Wednesday, following a January 7 battery incident on an ANA 787 that occurred on the ground in Boston.

        

 
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